1. Field of the Invention
The system and method and construction of the present invention relates to habitable structures. More particularly, the present invention relates to a structure which can be folded into a completely compact storable item, and under the novel method of construction, can be unfolded and assembled to produce a habitable structure with individual rooms, and completley weather proof.
2. General Background
In the housing industry, it is recognized that the cost of affordable permanent structures for habitation is a grave concern. Particularly in certain areas of the world, i.e., third world countries in Africa, South America, for example, there is a tremendous need for affordable housing for these densely populated areas. However, due to the lack of technological know-how, these third world countries are unable to produce, manufacture and construct reasonably engineered and priced houses for their citizens, and as a consequence, the citizens of these countries must endure through makeshift or completely substandard living conditions, or, if the government is able to, provide housing that can be manufactured in the United States or an industrialized nation, shipped to the country for construction.
There is a tremendous problem in supplying third world countries with affordable housing by industrialized nations, due to the tremendous costs in transporting such housing units via plane or boat, because of the amount of space that these units, since most are partially or fully constructed, occupy on a ship, and a tremendous cost that is involved in shipping a relatively small number of units, when in fact there is a need for thousands upon thousands of such units.
Although the idea of a portable, collapsible building is not new, the following patents were found which address certain aspects of the art:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,434,253, issued to Hatcher, entitled "Foldable Utility Building" relates to a building which is collapsible during transport or the like, but is readily assembliable into a building with a roof, side and end portions being connected by hinges. This particular patent does teach the use of a hinged roof as opposed to roof of interlocking roof panels and does not speak to the fact of having dowel interior partitions combined with tracks for placement therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,555,749, issued to Aitken, entitled "Collapsible Housing" also relates to a collapsible structure wherein the wall panels are interconnected to the ceiling and floor panels via a hinge means or the like. There is no discussion as to the placement of inner walls via dowel means and no language regarding the walls being hinged to the floor only. The item covered by this patent is particularly designed to be assembled and disassembled frequently having roller tracks.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,103,709, issued to Bolt, entitled "Building Structures" again relates to structures which are able to be structured in a work shop or the like and can be collapsed to a low height and a compact transportable unit. Unlike the present invention, this patent teaches the use of two hinged frames onto which panels are attached as opposed to the four hinged walls of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,348,344, issued to Tatevossian, entitled "Transportable Building Construction With An Extendable Body Structure", relates to pre-fabricated transportable structure which can be assembled as one package. However, this patent does teach the use of roof trusses, an "accordian" type walls which slide along a track, and the use of beams in the support of the structure unlike the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,765,499, issued to Couse, entitled "Collapsible Hut" again relates to a collapsible structure which can be folded for transportation into a shipping container. This patent does teach the use of foldable floor panels and again it teaches the use of a hinged roof to itself and hinged walls while not being collapsible into the compact stackable structure as the present invention.
The following patents were also noted as being pertinent:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,922,828, issued to Ohe, entitled "Collapsible Prefabricated House";
U.S. Pat. No. 3,653,165, issued to West, entitled "Expandable Building With Telescoping Enclosures And Hingedly Connected Barriers";
U.S. Pat. No. 649,352, issued to Rector, entitled "Portable House";
U.S. Pat. No. 2,762,084, issued to Singer, entitled "Convertible Building Structure"; and
U.S. Pat. No. 2,395,691, issued to Smith, entitled "Building With Folding Walls".